Jan. 29, 2011

2011 Notre Dame Duals
Result: No. 7 Northwestern posts 7-1 record on the day
Site: Joyce Center • South Bend, Ind.
Record: Northwestern improves to 22-3 (.880) in dual meets
Up Next: NU Duals • Sat., Feb. 5 and Sun., Feb. 6 • Evanston, Ill.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Seventh-ranked Northwestern continued its strong start to the 2010-11 dual meet season, posting seven wins in eight matches at the Notre Dame Duals at the Joyce Center in South Bend. The Wildcats improve to 22-3 in dual meets on the year.

"We were disappointed that we came up short against Notre Dame," said head coach Laurie Schiller. "We fenced them well last week, but they showed why they are the number one team in the country. But we won convincingly in the rest of the meets, so all in all, it was a good day."

Northwestern opened up the day with a pair of easy decisions, knocking off Swarthmore 24-3 before toppling conference opponent Lawrence 26-1, setting up the showdown with the Fighting Irish. The foil squad earned the 5-4 decision, but the other two weapons came up short as NU fell to Notre Dame 18-9.

But the loss did little to shake the Wildcats' psyche, winning the final five meets in convincing fashion, scoring over 20 points in each. Northwestern disposed of Air Force and Wayne State for the second time this season, toppling the Falcons 20-7 and routing the Warriors 22-5.

The Wildcats easily took care of shorthanded Detroit and Cleveland State 27-0 and 24-3, respectively, before finishing off the afternoon with a 26-1 decision over Florida. Northwestern was once again led by the foil squad, posting an 8-0 mark on the afternoon with a combined team score of 61-11. Both the epée and sabre teams finished 7-1 on the day, posting combined team records of 59-13 and 58-14, respectively.

Northwestern will now return home to host the first installment of the NU Duals, held Saturday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 6 at the Sports and Aquatic Center (SPAC). 14 schools will converge on Evanston for the weekend's bouts, with action getting underway at 8 a.m. both days. Prior to the start of competition on Saturday, Northwestern's seniors will be honored, beginning at 7:40 a.m.

Northwestern 24, Swarthmore 3
Epée: 8-1; Foil: 9-0; Sabre: 7-2

Northwestern 26, Lawrence 1
Epée: 9-0; Foil: 8-1; Sabre: 9-0

Notre Dame 18, Northwestern 9
Epée: 3-6; Foil: 5-4; Sabre: 1-8

Northwestern 20, Air Force 7
Epée: 6-3; Foil: 9-0; Sabre: 5-4

Northwestern 22, Wayne State 5
Epée: 8-1; Foil: 5-4; Sabre: 9-0

Northwestern 27, Detroit 0
Epée: 9-0; Foil: 9-0; Sabre: 9-0

Northwestern 24, Cleveland State 3
Epée: 7-2; Foil: 8-1; Sabre: 9-0

Northwestern 26, Florida 1
Epée: 9-0; Foil: 8-1; Sabre: 9-0

Total Team Scores: Epée: 59-13; Foil: 61-11; Sabre: 58-14

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